Nature Holidays Should be Prescribed!

If nature and getaways are good for your mental and physical health, we cannot think of a better remedy for the current climate than a MORE Family Collection vacation!

Our luxury lodges and hotels take you far away from the everyday grind and transport you to wildernesses where life passes at a more natural pace. And with your every comfort and convenience provided, there’s time for the rest to take care of itself…

The Joy of Planning

Before you even step on the plane though, there’s the joy of trip planning… Various studies have found that since we spend a lot of time thinking about the future, this can be a source of happiness if we know that we have something to look forward to. Added to this, since we know our holiday has a set start and end date, our minds are set to savour it.

Realistically though, we understand that planning can also be somewhat stressful. So to take this out of the equation, we offer all of our guests the complimentary services of our dedicated MORE Family Concierge team. They love nothing better than to create your long daydreamed about vacation, allowing you to sit back and really enjoy every experience on the journey.

Get Away From It All...

Our South African safari lodges and Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe hotels immerse you in natural environments that seem a million miles away from the everyday… Your alarm clock is natural bird call, your drive involves tracking game across the plains, a quickened heartbeat is likely to come from a bucket-list experience, and ultimately, your time is your own.

What to do with it? Start by talking a safari, or better yet a walking safari… Research finds that spending time in nature significantly improves our moods – especially when combined with exercise. Our bush walks are rare and exhilarating opportunities to be on the ground in Africa and there’s nothing like encountering wildlife at close range to make you feel really alive!

And you needn’t be in the middle of the wilderness to access the benefits. Our Cape Town hotels put you minutes out from parks, beaches, mountains and winelands, and our private tours take you across some of South Africa’s most beautiful sea- and countryside. Combined with walks and a bit of wine tasting, we’d definitely say that they’re good for your health!

Stop and Smell the Flowers

Even the little things can have a big effect. Research by the Cambridge Health Alliance has found that focusing your attention on something pleasant, like a bird busy fishing or the details in the wildflowers, can help distract you from negative thinking. Our guides will encourage you to slow down are brilliant at finding the small points of fascination.

Between activities, our spa offerings provide an (aroma)therapy of a different kind… Studies continue to show that natural scents, from sea air to grassy notes, make us feel calmer and more relaxed. So why not boost the benefits with a treatment in one of our bush spa’s or the privacy of your hotel suite’s veranda? Adding to the benefits, our TheraNaka spa products include exotic aromatics and herbal infusions, with powerful healing properties.

Bush Bathing

Science is proving what we innately know: being immersed in nature is good for us. It’s an antidote to the overstimulation of urban environments, giving us space to breathe, time to slow down, and peace to find calm. Just a natural view out an office window has been associated with lower stress and higher job satisfaction – now imagine the effect if we take work out of it…

I.e. On a MORE holiday. Beyond our excursions, every experience is created to bring you closer to nature. From sunrise picnics on the slopes of Cape Town’s Signal Hill to Treehouse nights in the safari wilderness. It takes only two nights, research finds, in the outdoors to lower the stress hormone, cortisol and heartbeat – though excitement at seeing a rhino come by might send it up again!

Until then…

If your concentration on work has wandered off and you’re reading this blog at your desk, go and give us a follow our social media accounts for your daily dose of feel-good wild life inspiration. Studies have found that people’s mental energy bounces back even when simply looking at pictures of nature. We promise it’ll be just the pick-me-up you need!

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @morefamilycollection

Words by: Jade Crocket

Images by: Dook Photography and Ingrid Nemorin